Boothbay Fund Management LLC Boosts Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Boothbay Fund Management LLC lifted its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 37.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 58,625 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 15,912 shares during the quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC's holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $3,958,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hodges Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 447.1% in the 4th quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 51,396 shares of the company's stock worth $3,470,000 after buying an additional 42,001 shares during the period. Atomi Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth $278,000. GEN Financial Management INC. purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $301,000. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $1,433,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in Xcel Energy by 35.8% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 14,825 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,001,000 after purchasing an additional 3,905 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL traded down $0.32 during trading on Thursday, hitting $70.38. 3,389,112 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,574,163. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $69.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $68.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.46, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $51.97 and a 12-month high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.95 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $3.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.93 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.88 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.57 dividend. This is an increase from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

XEL has been the subject of several recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday. StockNews.com raised shares of Xcel Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $79.00 price target on Xcel Energy and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $76.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Xcel Energy news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of Xcel Energy stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Xcel Energy Profile

Xcel Energy Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, purchasing, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity. It operates through Regulated Electric Utility, Regulated Natural Gas Utility, and All Other segments. The company generates electricity through wind, nuclear, hydroelectric, biomass, and solar energy sources, as well as coal, natural gas, oil, wood, and refuse-derived fuels.